Beyond the Horizon — A RAD Journey
by 7caleb7
Summary: An ode to the RAD crew. What happens when the seal that separates the dimensions of the fictional multiverse gets broken? An oddball group of colorful characters get summoned to protect the future of mankind of course! What evil forces await our heroes? Can they overcome their differences to take them on? Find out!
1. Prologue

_Ages ago, despair had fallen upon humanity. Temples were left in ruin; villages were burned to ashes. Only a slimmer of hope remained for the destiny of mankind._

 _On the brink of extinction, the tribes of man had banded together to defeat the evil forces that brought destruction upon them. Only a few survivors remained. The last stand was underway; these warriors lost their families, their homes, and their liberty. Justice was bound to be on their side._

 _Swords, bows, axes, lances, magic; each warrior had his own diverse toolset of abilities. The ravine was stained with a river of crimson flowing through it. The valiant heroes fought with everything on the line, and Valhalla would be proud. The cries of agonistic war deafened even the brinks of the battlefield._

 _After several days of sufferance, the dust finally settled. The battle was over, and our heroes proved worthy of victory. The rooster crowed, and the age of war had officially ended. Peace and serenity washed over the warriors; even those who didn't come out in one piece. Cheers of relief spontaneously spread throughout the land, uplifting the spirits of the survivors._

 _To avoid near-extinction once more in the future, our heroes decided to disband. With humanity split up throughout a multiverse, evil shall never be able to catch up to every tribe without burning to ashes beforehand, they believed. Thus, the oracles, the magic-wielders, and the wizards created dimensions for each of the warriors. There, they would all build their societies from the ground up. Timelines and dimensions were created. Each universe would grow alongside each other, and all ties would be sealed off completely._

 _However, in the case that this defeated evil may rise again, and the dimensions would need to join together to defeat it once more, seals in dimensional rifts could be opened. For the sake of humanity, however, access to these rifts were buried in absolute secrecy. Only in desperate times would humanity be able to find the rifts._

 _That is, unless someone is idiotic enough to accidentally stumble across it and absolutely ruin our ancient ancestors' plans for our prosperity._

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

"It actually says that in the book? Whoa."

"N-No, I don't think—"

"So, what should we do? Should we activate it?"

"Hey, you're the leader here. You decide."

"Kehehe... Hand me the sword... Once I break this seal, ALL of the dimensions will be Grima's to rule...!"

"Don't you all think we should discuss this over some refreshing drinks?"

"... ... ...That doesn't seem very safe..."

"I'm just kinda concerned, or should I say, chromcerned that this isn't a 'desperate' situation."

"Did you just—"

"But, dude, who cares? It sounds fun!"

"Excuse the idiot, please."

"Hey, shut up you white-haired turd—!"

"Virion, I thought we said no drinks!"

"We only agreed on not discussing over drinks. Does it look like I'm discussing? No."

"Guys, guys, chrom on. We need to focus."

"DID YOU JUST—"

"It looks like the rift is leaking already... I think that's how we all were summoned here together in the first place. But why would it start leaking?"

"Was the magic not strong enough?"

"No, no... Seals like this don't just suddenly weaken."

"Yeah? How would you know?"

"I'd trust him if I were you. He's one of the Shepherds' most reliable magicians."

"H-Heh... Thanks, Chrom. Though... I do think it's a bit odd that a seal would have a physical form like this... It's like a barrier of some sort..."

"So why would it start glitching out like this?"

"Bro... Do you see that?"

"See what?"

"There's... like... one of those dog Snapchat filters on the pink-haired one..."

"...A-Are... Are you r-referring to m-me?"

"Bro... What? What's a Snapchat?"

"Guys, we're getting off track again... Do we deactivate the seal or not?"

"Maybe the seal WANTED us to find it..."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I mean... If it's not broken, then... It's gotta be leaking on purpose, right? Maybe this is what that old book was talking about! It said we could only find the rift if the timing was desperate. What if... What if it's a desperate time, but we just don't know it yet...?"

"Oh, pleeeeaaase... I can take care of whatever threat arises. I got these Falcon GUNS to take care of everything."

"Get away from my daughter, please."

"So, what do you guys say? Should we break the seal? We wouldn't wanna make a... chromtraversial decision."

"AGAIN, DID YOU JUST—"

"Well? Final verdict?"

"All we have to do is swing that glowing sword at the seal, right?"

"That's... what it says."

"Leader? Would you like to do the honors?"

"Heh... I'll gladly chromfirm."

"DID YOU J— I'm honestly this close to bailing."

"What, no, stay—"

The burly, blue-haired swordsman slowly strolled to the glistening sword that sat vertically in the stone pedestal. His fingers felt their way around the handle. As everyone stared in anticipation, Ike gripped the handle with utmost assurance. With a triumphant smirk and unrelenting confidence, the Radiant Hero of Legend tugged on the glowing blade. Too bad that the sword barely budged.

Robin frowned slightly, "...That's unfortunate."

With a forced chuckle, Ike put a second hand on the hilt. He grunted as he tugged again, and the sword wiggled itself out of the stone. Once he got it free, Ike flashed an anxious smile, "Phew, that was unchromfortable." The sword seemed to be of light weight once the muscled warrior pulled it out.

Chrom sighed and hung his head, "I guess I should learn to live with it, huh...?"

Shulk swallowed nervously as he held his concerned gaze, "Are we sure about this, guys? We have the entire multiverse in our hands here. It'd be a real shame if we ended all of mankind, you know."

Captain Falcon scoffed, "Pshhh, as if it's actually that serious."

Lucina raised an eyebrow, "Um, did you listen to anything that's been said?"

He perked up, "Huh? Uh, yeah, of course! ...Something about dog filters."

Olivia blushed, not knowing if the attention was a good or bad thing.

Frederick shook his head in dismay, "To think that the legacy of our legendary ancestors is in the hands of these hooligans... Perhaps you all should leave this to the Shepherds."

Virion drunkenly stumbled to the group, "Yes— *hic* L-Leave it to us..."

Palutena rolled her eyes in disgust, "You people are ridiculous."

A faint, metal 'clink' began repeatedly sounding off near the gang of misfits. They all looked towards where it was coming from: the seal. Rosalina gasped, and Ricken chuckled in amusement.

"W-What're you doing!?" Ike yelled out as his eyes widened.

"He's clearly just practicing for when he chops up his dead bodies, that's all~," Henry answered with glee.

"Interesting, heheheh... He would make a fine apprentice in my army..." Validar muttered to himself before frowning and piercing his eyes at Robin, "Maybe HE would actually make a grateful son...!"

"You guys... were taking too long..." Villager spoke as his axe swung down on the solid purple, door-sized seal, "So, I... decided to take... matters into my own hands!"

The seal wasn't budging in the slightest. Around it was a wall of bedrock. A few days ago, the members of the group each unknowingly transported to this dark, mystic area without notice. It started one-by-one until the entries finally came to a stop. Now, the number remained at fifteen; a nice round number. The group was there for a few days, each person getting acquainted to the last. The bickering was constant, and the accusations were nonstop.

They all shared their names, their home universes, and their backstories. The majority was from the "Fire Emblem" universe, but the others were from other various worlds. They didn't dare walk away from the ominous, purple wall that was surrounded by the bedrock wall. They felt... attracted to it somehow. They also came across an ancient, rustic book. Robin flipped through it, and he told the others what he could understand. Some of the text, however, was written in a language that was foreign to everybody. It was almost impossible to make out.

Realizing that they were probably transported for a reason, each of them agreed to team up and uncover the mysteries. Well... most of them, anyway. Some were just stuck there, and they simply wanted to leave.

"Wait, umm..." Shulk hesitated, "What happens if... the seal wasn't supposed to be broken? What do we do then? It's not like we can just patch this thing up."

Everyone sat in silence for a moment, not knowing how to answer the question. Rosalina spoke up, breaking the silence with a simple answer, "Then we're screwed." As blatant as it was, it was exactly what was going through everyone's minds.

"But hey!" Ike called, catching the attention of the other fourteen people, "We sound like a powerful bunch. I'm sure we can all handle it if we work together, right?"

"Erm... The evil in the book killed thousands, if not millions of people. I don't know about that." Robin glimpsed at the others as he spoke, then soon looked at the ground in thought.

"Then we can just go get more people!" Shulk exclaimed with joy. "I know a few others, a-and I have no problem with meeting new guys!"

Henry's smile widened, "I wouldn't wanna miss out on all this fun just beCAWS we had a people shortage." Ike perked up and threw two finger guns at the mage, clearly amused by the pun.

"Guys, guys. I can handle it by myself. I can clearly—"

Everyone seemed to speak up at once before the bounty hunter could finish another annoying boast, "Falcon, shut up."

Ricken yawned, clearly disengaged from the situation. "How else can we go back home? I don't see ANYTHING in the distance. It's all just a buncha rocks on this side, and boring ground on that side."

Ike inched towards the purple seal with the illuminated sword still in his hand. "Maybe we need to talk about this a little more... For example, what if—"

The hero was cut off by a high-pitched, monotonous 'Weeeeee!' coming from Virion's direction. The archer was spinning himself in circles for whatever reason other than he was intoxicated out of his mind.

"...U-Umm... V-Virion...?" Olivia passively questioned.

"Yessssssssss?" he asked, hissing like a snake.

"...Wh-What're you d-doing...?"

"It's like... my own rollercoaster..."

After curiously examining the drunkard, Frederick's eyes shot open. He noticed that Virion had his bow fully taut with an arrow resting in it. Reacting suddenly, he yelled out, "Get down—!" The armored soldier quickly ran to Chrom to cover him, and the others yelled frantically when they realized it too.

Mistaking the warning to be targeted at himself, Virion screeched. His hand released the ammunition in Ike's direction as he dove onto the ground. The arrow quickly zipped past Ike's head and into the glowing weapon that he was wielding. As if in slow-motion, the sword fell out of Ike's grip. Everyone watched in horror as the blade flipped end-over-end towards the seal that he was only a few feet away from.

Everyone soon realized that their big question had just been answered for them. As if fate manipulated Virion itself, the sword's tip came into contact with the seal. The affected area of the seal cracked like glass, and the glowing sword got lodged in it. The group stood in silence, trying to comprehend what just happened: the seal had been broken.

Ike gulped, "G-Guys..."

Henry's grin beamed, "Oh boy! What a CAWtastrophe!"

"What do we do now...!?" Palutena questioned in a panic.

Falcon slowly stood up from his crouch that he held during Virion's mishap. "There's no turning back now."

Robin's stomach sunk as soon as he saw the bounty hunter. "Falcon, what're you—"

"This is it, guys... Time to move forward once and for all!" he yelled as he tightened the glove on his right hand. Before Robin could stop him, Falcon leaped into the air as his fist engulfed in flames. "FALCON...!"

The man's fist reeled back, and his eyes were locked onto the intimidating purple barrier that separated the group from destiny. With terrorized expressions, everyone spectated as the instinctual racer yelled with all of his might: "PUUAWNCH!"

The sound of shattering glass filled the fifteen's ears as a blinding light pierced through where the barrier once was. The echoing noise was the last thing they all heard before the light encompassed them like a white sheet. Unconsciousness overtook them, and the next few years to follow would redefine their lives forever.


	2. Ch 1: Family Discord

The golden glow of a desk lamp shyly illuminated the sleek, wooden table. An open book sat on the brown wood with a finger trailing along the lines. Behind the desk was a young male wearing a black and purple robe that fell to his kneecaps. The white hair indicated that this wasn't any tactician; it was Robin.

The mage followed along the lines of the book in the quiet, dim library. He made certain that he had as little light as possible as to not disturb the others in their slumber. With all the candles and lights off, the room was only lit by the subtle glow of the lamp and the beam of the full moon that jutted through the full window behind him. Honestly, it was calming for the male.

Robin always visited the library when his insomnia kicked in. It always put his nerves at ease. Usually, he would talk to his husband to find serenity, but he didn't want to wake the sleeping Chrom. Plus, Robin didn't want to worry the young prince, who always felt the need to comfort him in times like these. This is also why he came to the library in secret; not to worry Chrom. Meanwhile, he read a book that was suggested to him by a fellow friend.

The text was simple, made up of a story about an astronaut that befriended little plant creatures. The book was just about over, and the tactician finally felt fatigue sliding in. As his finger slid to the final line of the book, a slimmer of a smile came upon his face. Robin was at peace.

The peace was short-lived, however, as Robin jumped at the sound of the massive entry door opening. The room was too dark to make out who it was, but Robin could take an educated guess.

The faint whisper came from the doorway as the hidden figure slowly made their way into the hallway, "Robin? Robin! Are you in here? Robin!"

The mage's cold sweat was replaced with a feeling of submissive defeat. Chrom had found him. Begrudgingly, Robin stood from the desk. Hesitantly, Chrom decided to take the chance of waking a few people up in order to find his tactician. So, he flipped the light switch. Almost immediately, his eyes met Robin's.

"What the heck are you doing in here!?" he yelled in a whisper. "It's, like, two in the morning!"

Robin didn't know what to say. He had no excuse. "I was just... reading."

Chrom just stared at his husband with confusion plastered on his face. "...Huh!? Why!? Aren't you tired?"

Robin quietly nodded in response. "...It was a good book."

Chrom's eyes almost rolled right out of their sockets. "C'mon... Get to bed."

The tactician nodded again, closing the book on his desk. As Robin made his way to a bookshelf to replace the book, something caught his eye. It was... that rustic book that was discovered. It's been over a year since the incident, and the group has come a long way.

Robin and Chrom grew closer and eventually married. Chrom's daughter was no stranger to marriage either; she was the bride to a rather odd and perhaps mistaken groom: Captain Falcon. Along with the daughter and son-in-law, Chrom and Robin recently adopted a new son: Pastry. New members of the group have joined the band, just like Pastry.

As for the other newcomers? After the new world was created once the seal was broken, many more people began appearing. Some notable ones to mention are an innocent cat named Jibanyan, a sweet-toothed thief named Gaius, a fallen angel named Kilonia, a young witch named Ashley, and that's just scratching the surface!

Over the months, everyone has grown together. Nothing "bad" has happened, per se, save for a few drunk mishaps and the occasional arguments that were taken too far. Breaking the seal was one of the best things that ever happened for a lot of the members of this ragtag family. Robin couldn't help but let a smile slip on his face as he recalled how far everyone has come.

But, an uneasiness in his stomach brought him back into reality. As Robin stared at the ancient book, he never noticed Chrom approaching him.

"Robin... What's wrong?" Chrom's words made Robin jump again.

"H-Huh? Oh, it's nothing...!" Robin glimpsed at Chrom's unwavering concern, and he finally submitted. "It's just... I'm getting this bad feeling... I don't know what it is."

"Think it has something to do with Grima, maybe?" Chrom inquired, trying to help his lover.

"Maybe... Or Falcon's up to something again," Robin muttered with a playful smile.

"Heh, when is he not?" Chrom returned the smile. "Whatever's going on, let's just sleep on it. Maybe it'll be better tomorrow."

Robin quietly nodded again. As the two exited the library, the tactician took a final look at the book. His stomach sank, but he quickly shook it off. Chrom was probably right... It'll be better in the morning...

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

The next morning started off hectic as always. Chaos ensued in the dining hall. Three tables were already broken over the span of fifteen minutes; a new record, actually.

"YOU SNATCHED THE FINAL WAFFLE, DEATH TO THEE—" as the blue-haired archer yelled his threats, he raised a plate full of eggs. Who was it targeted at? None other than the famed magician Trucy Wright, who honestly couldn't care less.

"You do realize we can just make more, right?" Ashley retorted in a monotonous tone; she was tired of the seemingly daily routine.

With a sigh, Trucy calmly responded, "There's more batter in the—"

"DEATH, I SAY!"

"Why do I even try...?" The magician shook her head in annoyance.

A British girl sat at a nearby table, sipping some apple juice out of a mug, for whatever reason. She sat the mug down and asked, "Can someone go get Frederick already?"

Immediately, Virion slowly brought the hostile breakfast plate down. "...I-I don't think that's necessary."

"Mhm, that's what I thought." Hunts closed her eyes and sipped the tangy apple juice. Soon, a young male exited the kitchen and took a seat right next to her, holding an identical mug of his own.

"What's it this time? It looks egg-citing, heh-heh." Of course, the male could be no other than Pastry, the pun practicer. Upon his sitting, Hunts' face immediately became sour, and it wasn't because of the bitter wordplay. She sniffed and almost gagged in disgust. It wasn't the pun that she was cringing at; it was what Pastry brought with him.

"Is... Is that... tea...!?" Hunts' twisted expression stayed locked onto Pastry's mug of tea.

Pastry's eyebrow peaked, clearly unaware of Hunts' notorious hatred of tea. Then, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, "Is something wrong...? You look tea-rrified~."

Hunts rolled her eyes with an unamused expression as she stood up to throw her breakfast away. She flinched, as well as everyone else, when the doors to the cafeteria swung open with utmost hostility.

"I'M TELLING YOU, IT'S A SANDWICH!" Falcon yelled at the blue-haired maiden that entered beside him.

"A HOT DOG IS NOT A FREAKING SANDWICH...!" Lucina retorted, clearly upset at her husband's ignorance.

"UMMM? TWO PIECES OF BREAD WITH MEAT IN THE MIDDLE? SOUNDS LIKE A SANDWICH TO ME, LUCINA." The angry couple stormed through the cafeteria and into the kitchen, not acknowledging any of their friends that watched them in silence.

Even when they entered the kitchen, everyone could faintly listen to Lucina's infuriated words, "IT'S ONE PIECE OF BREAD, FALCON. IF IT WAS A SANDWICH, THEN IT'D BE CALLED A SANDWICH."

"SUBWAY SANDWICHES ONLY HAVE ONE PIECE OF BREAD!" The faint sound of kitchen appliances being tossed around could be heard in the cafeteria.

A redheaded girl sat at one of the tables, counting through the mass amount of dollar bills in her hand. "As stupid as he is, I guess he has a point."

A short girl with charcoal-black hair swallowed the food in her mouth before speaking, "Still not gonna acknowledge it as a sandwich, though." Ashley looked at the tray of crumbs in front of her, contemplating something. What better time to practice magic than in a chaotic lunchroom?

Soon enough, the couple came out of the kitchen. Neither said a word to each other, or to anyone, really. The awkward silence spread throughout the cafeteria, and nobody dared to say a word. Everyone watched the drama with eager eyes, save for those that couldn't care less.

Again, the doors to the cafeteria opened, except it wasn't as hostile as the previous occurrence. This time, Ike, Jibanyan, and Cloud entered. Immediately, Cloud noticed the awkward ambience, and his eyes wandered over to the table that Lucina and Falcon sat at. He recognized the familiar situation, due to its frequency.

"What's Falcon wrong about this time?" he asked without a filter.

Anna still counted her money as she answered, "Dingus said that a hot dog is a sandwich."

Pastry chuckled to himself, "Let's just say that he wasn't the wiener of that argument."

Ike sighed to himself, trying not to offend anybody. "It's okay, some of us think differently..."

Ashley wittingly spoke back as she continued to wave her wand around at the tray in front of her, "And some of us don't think at all." Amused by her witchcraft, Jibanyan waddled over to the girl.

"What're you doing, nya?" the cat asked. His eyes grew big as he surveyed the bottles of potion that were spread out on Ashley's table.

She spoke absent-mindedly, paying attention to her articulate art, "A teleportation potion... I don't feel like putting my tray up, so I wanna cast this potion on it to put itself up..."

"Nya~! That's cool!" the charming cat smiled in delight.

Meanwhile, Hunts sat back down beside Pastry and instinctively grabbed the mug in front of her. "I could use that potion, honestly..." She took a sip and her worst nightmare was upon her: she grabbed the wrong mug.

She instantly spewed it right back out, and Pastry was in the wrong place at the wrong time, earning a chuckle out of Trucy and Anna. Even in a time like this, though, nothing could stop Pastry. "G-Gah—! Geez... This is... This is tea-rrible..."

After hesitating for a second, Hunts sipped the tea again and immediately spewed it at Pastry again with a snarky "...That's for the stupid pun." She then gently sat the mug down and exited the cafeteria.

Once the debacle quieted down, Ike walked to Pastry and sat down next to him, who gladly accepted the paper towel that Ike was offering. "For the record, Pastry, I thought that was a pret-tea good pun." Pastry smiled at the clever wordplay that was returned. "But, I mean, you gotta know when to actually make a pun. Some people aren't too chromfortable with it."

"It's like you're training a Jedi or something," Cloud muttered to himself, taking a seat next to the duo as he sat his breakfast tray down. "They're just puns, Ike."

The blue-haired warrior chuckled lightly. "You know, that Star Wars analogy seemed very... Forced."

Cloud looked back down at his food in annoyance, "...Remind me again why I talk to you?"

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

Meanwhile, another archer was lounging around on a couch, except he didn't have blue hair. On the other end of the couch, there was a pink-haired dancer, who was hypnotized by the flashing colors and images that were displayed on the television mounted on the wall in front of them.

"Hmmm..." Niles purred, "Darling, would you mind if I changed the channel to something more... intriguing?" His eyes peeled from the TV and creeped towards Olivia, who shifted uncomfortably in response.

Her hospitality was short-lived, which was evident by the sudden change in her expression. "U-Ummm..." Olivia was unsure of the proposal; she was already interested in the Sesame Street episode that was airing. Of course, she didn't have the courage to say 'No'. "S-Sure, Niles...! Ch-Change it to whatever y-you'd like!"

"Mmm~, thanks, darling~." Niles' seductive tone was complemented with a teasing smirk as he reached towards Olivia to grab the remote. On reaction, the dancer became totally stiff, slightly intimidated by the male. "Let's find something a little more captivating, shall we~?"

Before the archer could press a button on the remote, a deep voice spoke out, "We shall not."

Startled by the third voice in the room, Niles jumped. "Wh-What the—!? How long have you been in here?"

A large, armor-clad man was sitting in an orange armchair with proper posture across the room. With an unwavering face of sternness, Frederick continued, "This is my favorite episode." His eyes went back to the monitor, returning into his solemn silence.

Niles groaned quietly, wanting to change the channel from the kids show. Even though he was a flirt machine, Niles respected the others' desires, so he complied.

Soon, a childlike gasp came from the doorway. The three heads turned to the noise to find a Spinda with an expression of pure joy plastered on its face. "Spin, Spin!" Its yellow, Pikachu-themed hood flapped as Epic quickly ran to the occupied couch and scurried onto it, plopping itself right between Olivia and Niles. Once it was settled, Epic stared at the Sesame Street episode with stars in his eyes, clearly entranced by the puppets.

The innocence and happiness of the small Spinda was entertaining for Niles, causing a slight smile to tug at his lips. Maybe Sesame Street wasn't so boring after all? The four of them sat for a couple minutes, singing along to the songs in the Elmo segment specifically.

Epic spoke up with an expectant grin on its face, "Spin! ...Spin! Spin?" After all the time she spent with the Pokémon, Olivia learned to get the gist of what it meant.

With a delightful smile, the blushing beauty translated, "Y-You want our n-next adventure to b-be in the Sesame Street d-dimension...?"

Frederick thought to himself before saying, "Well... We definitely wouldn't need to worry about getting into any danger, I suppose."

"I'm afraid that portal hasn't opened up, yes?" Niles pointed out. "We only have access to the portals whose citizens have entered this world in the first place... like Pokémon and Fire Emblem."

"If any of you find Bernie or Cookie Monster roaming around this world, please report it to me immediately," Frederick stated in his signature serious tone. "I would also like to venture into the lands of Sesame Street."

Niles smiled to himself, "Don't worry your handsome little head, Freddy. If I find Oscar the Grouch sitting in my trash can, I'll make sure that you're the first person I—" The flirtatious archer was cut off by the sudden appearance of Ashley and Jibby, who fell right in the middle of the room. Olivia let out a horrified squeal.

Groaning in pain, the orange cat and the witch-in-training slowly got to their feet, with some of Frederick's aid. "N...Nya... I-I don't think that went as planned..." Jibby mumbled, attempting to survey his surroundings.

"Uh-huh... It definitely... backfired..." Ashley rubbed her aching head.

Frederick had his eyebrow raised, "Care to explain...?"

Niles smirked, "The two missed my presence so much that sheer willpower made them teleport to me~."

Ashley ignored the playful response, "Jibby and I finally found the last ingredient to my teleportation potion... Meant to use it on something else, but, you know."

"...That sounds dangerous," Frederick said bluntly. His fatherly instincts were starting to surface.

"Yet you're not going to acknowledge that your daughter just recreated teleportation? Tsk, tsk, dear Freddy~." Niles reminded his peer of the impressive feat, but Frederick didn't seem to consider it.

"Where'd you make this? And where's your other father? He was supposed to be watching you..." Frederick's expression turned dismal, now regretting that he gave Virion a responsible task.

Ashley groaned, "He was in the cafeteria with me... He was too busy complaining about his pancakes again." She paused, "Or was it waffles?"

Frederick sighed in disappointment. "Can't even watch a single episode of Sesame Street without my daughter revolutionarily learning how to instantly transport herself across several meters into another building. Ridiculous."

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

"C'mon, man... Why are ya dragging me along?" an orange-haired male asked as he walked alongside a crimson-haired male of similar age. Gaius and Subaki were quietly and sneakily creeping through the aisles of the library.

Ahead of them was yet another boy, but with different hair: light blue. Shigure was in the lead with clearly detestable intentions. "Oh, stop whining..." he complained. "I heard there was some ancient book in here, and I wanna check it out."

"You and your little fantasies..." Subaki groaned to Shigure. "Why would there be anything useful in a beatdown place like this? Ugh... It's so dusty and stuffy in here..."

Shigure's face lit up as he spun around, "But isn't that the perfect place for a mystic book to be found?"

Subaki shook his head, "Trust me, I know what perfection is, and this definitely isn't it."

Shigure's expression turned more dismal as he spoke, "Just... Be quieter. I don't want anyone to catch us."

"...And why is that?" another voice rang out from the other side of the bookshelf. The three boys stopped immediately, not daring to make a move. They tried to decipher who the voice belonged to. It was feminine; stern but soothing.

The woman turned around the corner, facing the three frozen hooligans. Palutena had an eyebrow raised and a pair of folded arms. She was clearly suspicious.

"D-Dang it, Shigure...! I told you it was a bad idea!" Gaius called out, fearful of what the goddess might be planning to do. In agreement with Gaius, Farfetch'd swatted Shigure's leg with his trusty leek in hand.

"Since when was Farfy here...?" Shigure muttered, uncertain as to how the Pokémon showed up.

Farfy answered with a simple "..." in response. Well, a typical answer for one that couldn't speak.

Regardless, Palutena spoke up again, "I believe I know the rumor you're talking about. However, I'm sad to say that the rumor is false."

"Ah, do you hear that, Shigure?" Subaki asked rhetorically, "It appears we must turn back for now. I suppose this adventure is over."

Shigure turned towards him slightly with an embarrassed blush, "Sh-Shut up, Subaki..." In agreement with Shigure, Farfy put his wings on his hips and nodded with a stubborn expression.

"If it WAS true," Palutena started, "I'd gladly join you guys in your quest. I've searched this library far and wide; no such book exists."

"I-I'm gettin' outta here before I get in trouble..." Gaius mumbled, turning around and walking back. He took a left turn, maneuvering through the bookshelves.

"Gaius, that's the wrong way," Palutena called out. Sure enough, Gaius was going the opposite way of the exit.

He immediately turned around, "I-I knew that...!" The candy-lover quickly speed-walked back through the aisle and out of the door. Subaki felt like following suit.

"Now, if you excuse me, I'd like to get back to my browsing." Like a salty librarian, the goddess went back to her original aisle, leaving the two remaining boys alone.

"I guess it really was a bust, huh...?" Shigure muttered to himself. Farfy patted him on the back of his leg in an attempt to raise his spirits.

Subaki scoffed, "C'mon. I'm sure we'll find something next time... Don't worry about it." Though he was a bit upset that his time was wasted, Subaki didn't want Shigure to get down in the dumps about it.

"Y-Yeah... I guess..." he muttered. "Whatever, let's just go find Gaius..." Shigure started his way out of the library with Subaki and Farfy not too far behind.

When Palutena heard the doors close, she heaved a sigh of relief. Boy, that was a close one. They agreed to keep it a secret, and so far, it's been a success. They didn't want any of the others to worry about it; to worry that they might have to save the multiverse.

The green-haired maiden strolled down the aisles, making her way to a special bookshelf. She turned the corner, and she walked towards the placement of that rustic book. As she neared closer and closer, however, her heart sank and her eyes shot open — the book was missing.


End file.
